Sawhorses have long been used in the industry to support a workpiece or work surface. Sawhorses generally come in pairs, with one of the two sawhorses supporting one end of the supported member and the other sawhorse supporting the other end of this member.
Sawhorses used in construction will generally comprise an uppermost engaging surface made out of wood. Wood is employed because the user will often cut the workpiece supported thereby with an electric saw or the like, and such saws may penetrate the workpiece and cut into the engaging member of the sawhorse. By making this engaging member out of wood, damage to the tool being used is substantially reduced.
The most common type of sawhorse available is formed out of five separate pieces of wood, usually in standard 2.times.4s dimensions, that are joined by metal brackets. The end user will simply purchase the brackets and cut 2.times.4s to form four legs and the engaging member described above.
Numerous other variations on the basic sawhorse are known. In particular, the brackets employed to attach the leg members to the engaging member often incorporate hinges to allow the leg members to be collapsed into a closed position for storage. These hinges generally constitute a weak point in the design of the sawhorse, resulting in the sawhorse forming an unstable work surface and not being very durable. The need thus exists for a folding sawhorse that provides a stable support for a workpiece and which is durable in use.